Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Soup

This healthy, creamy, vegan pumpkin soup is the perfect comforting cold weather meal. It’s also gluten-free, freezer-friendly, and kid-approved. What’s not to love?

I first posted the recipe for this creamy vegan pumpkin soup two years ago, when I was both new to blogging and new to suburban life. I wrote about how we were living in a house for the first time (as opposed to an apartment in the city), and I was overwhelmed at the prospect of trick-or-treaters and unsure of how to carve the giant pumpkin sitting on my stoop.

A lot has changed since then! Halloween is by far Owen’s favorite holiday, so we bust out the decorations as soon as there is a slight nip in the air. Mini pumpkins, spooky stickers for our windows, fall spice candles…we’ve had it all going on for weeks now. There are tons of kids in our neighborhood, and I’m excited to take Owen trick-or-treating, and to pass out candy at our house. (Side note: we always do York Peppermint Patties, in case you’re wondering.)

One thing that hasn’t changed, though, is how much I love this creamy, comforting pumpkin soup. I made it again last week and decided to update the photos. I mean, look at one of the originals…

The secret ingredient to making this soup thick, silky smooth, and (yes!) vegan is a can of white beans. They impart a rich, velvety texture, but otherwise you wouldn’t know they were there.

This is a savory soup with plenty of onions and garlic, but there are subtle hints of maple, cinnamon, nutmeg, and orange, too. If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, just use big pinches of cinnamon and ginger and little pinches of nutmeg and allspice. 

I like to serve this soup topped with chopped toasted pecans or pumpkin seeds, and if I’m feeling really decadent, a swirl of coconut cream. Just refrigerate a can of full-fat coconut milk overnight. Carefully open the can (don’t tip it over or shake it), scoop out the “cream” on top, and swirl it into your bowl.

This soup freezes beautifully. We ate half last week and I froze the rest for an easy, comforting dinner after trick-or-treating.

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Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Soup

This creamy vegan pumpkin soup is the perfect comforting fall meal. If you don't have pumpkin pie spice, substitute pinches of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice. This soup freezes beautifully for up to three months.

Servings 8

Author Turnip the Oven

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 3 large cloves garlic chopped
• 2 cans pumpkin 15-ounce, not pumpkin pie filling
• 1 can white beans 15-ounce
• 4 cups low sodium vegetable stock
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice optional, but reccomended
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• Chopped toasted pecans pumpkin seeds, and/or whipped coconut cream, for serving

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Stir in the pumpkin, white beans, vegetable stock, salt, pepper, pumpkin pie spice, orange juice, and maple syrup. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Puree the soup using an immersion blender (alternatively, you can puree the soup in batches in a regular blender). Serve the soup garnished with the nuts, pumpkin seeds, and coconut cream.